Oklahoma issued record number of concealed carry permits in 2012

Amid highly publicized mass shootings, talk of the end of days and a presidential election, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation issued 39,875 concealed carry permits last year, the highest total ever recorded in the state.

Melissa Burger, co-owner of Locked and Loaded in Choctaw, sells a 15-round magazine for a handgun to Dave Therio. Therio said he is in the process of getting his concealed carry permit. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

The figures, released Tuesday by the bureau, also show the number of concealed carry permits issued in the state has skyrocketed during the presidency of Barack Obama.

From 2009-12, the bureau issued 126,868 concealed carry permits to Oklahoma residents, more than the seven years prior combined. OSBI does not have figures available before 2002.

The latest permit totals in Oklahoma also show they were issued at record levels during the first and last years of Obama's first term in office.

The 39,875 concealed carry permits issued in 2012 bested the previous year's total by more than 15,000.

In 2009, the first year Obama was in office, concealed carry permits totaled 35,962 in Oklahoma, nearly twice the 18,510 issued the previous year.

The number of permits issued during Obama's first four years in office represents the four highest totals in state history, yet the increase hardly came out of nowhere.

Even though they have exploded during Obama's time in office, concealed carry permits have been steadily increasing over the course of the past 10 years.

In 2002 and 2003, there were less than 9,000 permits issued statewide, although nearly 18,000 were issued in 2004, an election year.

After the 2004 election, the number of permits issued to Oklahoma residents hovered around 10,000 before starting to steadily climb in 2007.

Oklahoma's two largest counties have followed a similar trend during the past decade.

In 2012, Oklahoma County residents were issued 5,523 concealed carry permits, far more than the 1,319 issued in 2002.

Tulsa County residents were issued 6,468 permits in 2012. In 2002, they were issued just 1,271.

Uncertainty may be fueling increase

Gun owners and retailers say there is definitely a connection between the president and the rise in Oklahoma's concealed carry permits, although other factors are certainly affecting the growth.

Darren Burger, co-owner of the gun shop Locked and Loaded in Choctaw, said he believes a “fear of legislation” is driving the current upward trends in gun sales and applications for concealed carry permits.

Burger said even though concealed carry permits aren't being specifically targeted by the Obama administration — which is focusing more on background checks and limiting what kinds of ammunition and weapons are available to the public — people typically become nervous when the president starts to focus on gun control.

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by Andrew Knittle

Investigative Reporter

Andrew Knittle has covered state water issues, tribal concerns and major criminal proceedings during his career as an Oklahoma journalist. He has won reporting awards from the state's Associated Press bureau and prides himself on finding a real...